Steakhouses›Steakhouses in Brisbane›Norman Hotel
Woolloongabba · Brisbane
Norman Hotel
A Woolloongabba hotel of 1889–90 whose steakhouse, opened in 1988, still asks diners to choose their cut from a meat cabinet.
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By Hugo Ledger · Steakpedia editorial voice · Who writes
Why go
In 1988 the Cavill family cleared the old stables and air-raid shelters behind the Norman Hotel, laid out a beer garden and opened a steakhouse. Nearly four decades later the format holds: diners pick a cut from the meat cabinet, say how they want it cooked, and the grill team cooks it on the open grill. The menu names each producer and region, from Right to Roam grass-fed fillet in central Queensland to Yardstick rump from the Riverina, and every steak comes with a sauce and two sides. The hotel, on Ipswich Road since the 1880s and on the Queensland Heritage Register since 2005, calls its dining room "Brisbane's Worst Vegetarian Restaurant."
What to order
- Eye fillet, 300 g / 11 oz
- Big Norman Rump, 600 g / 21 oz
- Rib on the bone, 400 g / 14 oz
Not published: fire, price.
01What to order
- Eye fillet, 300 g / 11 ozMSA grass-fed, HGP-free, Right to Roam, central Queensland, A$65.95; the most popular steak, per Time Out in July 2026.
- Big Norman Rump, 600 g / 21 ozYardstick, Riverina, 150 days on grain, MB2+, A$67.95.
- Rib on the bone, 400 g / 14 ozFive Founders, Darling Downs, MSA, 100 days on grain, A$69.95.
- Dry-aged sirloin on the bone, 400 g / 14 ozYambinya, British–European cross, MB 2+, HGP-free, aged a minimum of 42 days per the menu, A$89.95.
- Wagyu rump MB6-7, 350 g / 12 ozF1 Wagyu from Carrara 640, Darling Downs, more than 350 days on grain, A$56.95.
- Two-course 1.5 kg / 3.3 lb T-bone, for twoKidman Premium, Southern Downs, 200 days on grain, A$239.95; the second course needs at least 45 minutes.
02The beef
The menu gives region, feeding and grade for each cut. Grass-fed beef comes from Right to Roam in central Queensland and Red Gum Creek in northern New South Wales; grain-fed beef from Kilcoy Diamond Choice and Five Founders on the Darling Downs (100 days), Yardstick in the Riverina (150 days), Kidman Premium on the Southern Downs (200 days) and Carrara 640 (more than 350 days, F1 Wagyu). The aged sirloin is from Yambinya in southern New South Wales; the menu says at least 42 days, while the hotel's "Our Beef" page says at least 60. The Norman's Grill list runs from A$49.95 to A$69.95.
03The fire
The menu says the grill masters cook each chosen steak over the open grill; no source names the fuel. The same cooks run Mastersteak, a two-hour steak cooking class with a two-hour drinks package, at A$149 a person on Thursday evenings and Saturday lunchtimes.
04The story
In 1885 Robert Heaslop bought two parcels of land in Woolloongabba, and the hotel he built there was named for Sir Henry Norman, Governor of Queensland. The house gives 1889 as its opening; the heritage history summarized on Wikipedia says it was built in 1889–90 to a design by John Beauchamp Nicholson and opened in June 1890. The brewer Perkins & Co leased it from 1896 and bought it in 1900. The Cavill family bought it in 1987 and opened the steakhouse in 1988, and Peter Cavill later expanded the outdoor seating to about 700. A fire during a Friday lunch in 2009 closed the restaurant for restoration; the Power family bought the hotel in 2015, and a second Norman, in Enoggera, is due in May 2027. Steakpedia uses 1889, the hotel's own date, and notes the 1890 opening.
05The practical
102 Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba. Lunch Monday to Thursday 11:30 am to 3 pm and dinner 5 to 9 pm; Friday to Sunday, lunch 11:30 am to 3:30 pm and dinner 4:30 to 9 pm. Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day. Each steak comes with one sauce (mushroom, pepper, chilli, Diane, gravy or chimichurri) and two sides, and all steaks are gluten-free, per the menu. Bookings on (07) 3391 5022.
- Address
- 102 Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba QLD 4102
- Phone
- +61 7 3391 5022
- Website
- normanhotel.com.au
- Directions
- Google Maps ↗
Can you choose your own steak at the Norman Hotel?
Yes. Diners pick their cut from the meat cabinet and say how they want it cooked, and the grill team cooks it on the open grill.
How much is a steak at the Norman Hotel?
On the current menu, the Norman's Grill steaks run from A$49.95 (200 g / 7 oz midi eye or 400 g / 14 oz rump) to A$69.95 (400 g / 14 oz rib on the bone), each with a sauce and two sides.
How old is the Norman Hotel?
The hotel gives 1889 as its opening year; heritage records cited on Wikipedia say it was built in 1889–90 and opened in June 1890. The steakhouse opened in 1988.
Where does the Norman Hotel's beef come from?
Queensland and New South Wales: Right to Roam, Five Founders, Kilcoy Diamond Choice, Kidman Premium, Carrara 640, Yardstick, Red Gum Creek, Grainge Silver and Yambinya.
06In Brisbane’s selections
07Sources
normanhotel.com.au · normanhotel.com.au · timeout.com · en.wikipedia.org · normanhotel.com.au · normanhotel.com.au
Last verified Oct. 29, 2026.
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